Salad Dressings: Hold the Guilt

At the recent Worlds of Healthy Flavors conference, sponsored by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America, two prominent researchers called for an end to the use of the term “low-fat.”

Dr. Ronald Krauss, director of atherosclerosis research at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, and Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, have been involved in numerous studies measuring the effects of dietary habits on health. Few of those studies, they noted, have turned up reliable associations between one’s total intake of dietary fat and such diseases as cancer and heart disease. Nor have they turned up meaningful associations between total fat intake and obesity.

As most of us now know, it is the type of fat that matters most to health. A diet in which saturated fats are replaced by polyunsaturated fats, found mostly in plants, nuts and seafood, and monounsaturated fats, present in olive oil, may help protect against heart disease.

On the other hand, trans fats, created during the hydrogenation process, seem to increase heart disease risk. And saturated fats — found mostly in meat and dairy products, and in coconut and palm oils — raise blood levels of L.D.L., or “bad” cholesterol, also a risk factor for heart disease.

Scientists have been saying as much for years. But somehow we remain preoccupied with low-fat foods and diets, which are often high in sugar, refined flour and other simple carbohydrates, as well as in sodium, as salt is often added to low-fat foods to improve the flavor.

This week we’re going to try something different. Salad dressings by their nature are high in fat — but the ones we’re offering this week are high in the right fats. The nutrient values tell the tale: instead of total fat, this week they are broken down into polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fats.

Green Goddess Dressing

Green Goddess is a California classic. It makes a great dip for crudités and a wonderful dressing for robust lettuces like romaine hearts, but it’s too thick and intense for delicate spring mixes. Although I’ve made the anchovies optional, I recommend them because they add depth to the flavor. If salt is an issue for you, leave them out.

1 cup parsley leaves

1 cup packed watercress or spinach leaves, stemmed

2 tablespoons tarragon leaves, rinsed

3 tablespoons minced chives

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

2 anchovy fillets, preferably salt-packed

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Champagne vinegar or sherry vinegar

1/2 cup canola oil or grapeseed oil

1/2 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade (see note)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a blender, combine the parsley, watercress or spinach, tarragon, chives, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, vinegar and canola or grapeseed oil. Blend until smooth, about two minutes. Add the mayonnaise, and blend again until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Note: To make your own mayonnaise, beat an egg yolk in a bowl. Wrap a damp dishtowel around the base of the bowl so that it will not move around on your work surface as you whisk. Drop by drop, whisk in 1/4 cup of canola or grapeseed oil. When the mixture looks emulsified and stable, add another 1/4 cup of oil (canola, grapeseed or olive oil) in a slow stream. Season to taste with salt and, if you wish, a drop of lemon juice.

Yield: Makes a little more than 1 1/2 cups.

Advance preparation: This dressing will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator but tastes best when freshly made.